Vista High's boys water polo team cheered from the stands when the Panthers' girls team won its first San Diego Section championship last winter. Now the guys would like to follow suit with their first Division I crown in three decades.

The top-seeded Vista boys moved forward in their pursuit with a 13-5 quarterfinal victory over Westview at La Jolla High's Coggan pool yesterday. Wes Lacroix's five goals and Taylor McWey's 11 saves in goal led the way.

“Ever since the girls won it, we've wanted even more,” said Lacroix, the scoring leader in an all-senior lineup. “They're a big inspiration because they proved to us that it could be done.”

Vista's boys reached the semifinals for the fourth time in six years. They will play Wednesday at the same site against Fallbrook, which advanced with a 10-7 upset win over No. 4 seed Torrey Pines.

The Panthers last won the title in 1976 as part of a three-year reign and last reached the finals in 1977. Vista's girls prevailed in their first finals appearance last season under Dave Spence, who is also the boys' coach.

“It was really exciting when they won it,” said McWey, a second-year starter in goal. “It's an ongoing battle between us for bragging rights. Now they say we won it first. We want to say, 'We've won it, too.' ”

In last year's semifinals, Granite Hills beat Vista 10-9.

“After that, it's been our goal (to win this year's title),” Lacroix said. “We know it's going to be a hard road. We just try our best.”

The route may well include another encounter with Carlsbad, which is seeking to set a section record with its sixth-straight title. The second-seeded Lancers topped Escondido 15-5 to set up a semifinal meeting with No. 3 Granite Hills, which topped Rancho Buena Vista 10-7.

Vista (21-9) split two games with Carlsbad in the regular season. The Panthers have gone 15-1 since losing 12-10 in the schools' first meeting Oct. 8.

“That experience burned into our players' minds not only can they play against Carlsbad, but also we're capable of beating them,” Spence said. “It went a long way to boost their confidence.”

Lacroix, who has 96 goals on the season, has persevered despite tendinitis in his right shoulder from the outset of the season.

“I've just had to overcome it,” Lacroix said. “It was rough at first, but it's gotten better.”

Vista built a 6-2 halftime lead over the Wolverines (24-7) with three unanswered goals in the second period, including the first two by Lacroix, who converted the second time despite being surround by four defenders.

Brandon Butler recorded three goals for the Panthers, and Travis Duncan and Eric Carnohan each had two.

“We've been together for years,” McWey said. “We're like a close-knit family. That makes us that much better.”

For the Wolverines, Luke Syka had two goals and Ryan Rock made nine saves in goal.